Choosing where to stay at Lake Atitlán is not as simple as picking the hotel with the best views. The villages are different enough that the wrong base can mean spending your days on lanchas getting to where you actually want to be. This guide covers the best hotels in Lake Atitlán honestly: from the … Read more
Most 5-day Guatemala itineraries try to cover three destinations and end up doing none of them well. This one doesn’t. It focuses on two places: Lake Atitlán and Antigua Guatemala. Where to base yourself, how to move between them, what is worth your time, and what to skip. Written by a Guatemalan who has been … Read more
Every Guatemala itinerary article you click sends you down the same route: Antigua first, then the lake, then back to the airport. This is the complete Guatemala itinerary guide built to fix that, covering every trip length from a quick four days to a full two weeks, with the routes I’d actually send my own … Read more
The temazcal has been part of life in Guatemala for as long as anyone in my family can remember. Not as a wellness amenity. Not as a spiritual tourism offering. As something you went to when your body needed to be cleaned out, when a woman was recovering from childbirth, when someone came back from … Read more
Mayan ceremonies in Guatemala are not a travel trend. They are the living spiritual heartbeat of my country; traditions that have survived colonial suppression, forced conversion, and five centuries of outside pressure, and are still practiced today by communities across the highlands, the lake shores, the cloud forests, and the jungles of Petén. I am … Read more
Lake Atitlán is one of those places that changes people. I’ve watched travelers arrive planning to stay two nights and end up rearranging their whole trip to stay a week. Lake Atitlán boat services are a big part of what makes that possible: understanding how the lanchas work is essential to experiencing the lake fully, … Read more
La Quema del Diablo in Antigua Guatemala is one of the most unique Guatemalan traditions and one of the most unforgettable festivals you can experience in December. If you are traveling to Guatemala in December and want to see a cultural event that blends community, history, fire, humor, and deep symbolism, this is it. Even … Read more
Street food in Antigua Guatemala is the everyday food sold from carts, market stalls, and sidewalk grills, usually for a few dollars a plate. This local’s guide covers what to try and where to find it: shucos near the park, late-night tostadas outside La Merced, and atol de elote on a cold night. Written by a Guatemalan who grew up eating it, not a visitor passing through.
Every year on November 1st, the skies above Santiago Sacatepéquez fill with color, spirit, and tradition during the Giant Kite Festival in Guatemala. While many travelers know about Sumpango’s barriletes giganates, the Santiago Sacatepéquez Kite Festival offers a more intimate and deeply emotional experience. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to … Read more
Every year on November 1st, the small town of Sumpango, Guatemala becomes the stage for one of the most breathtaking cultural events in Central America: the Giant Kite Festival in Guatemala, known locally as the Festival de Barriletes Gigantes. If you’ve seen photos of the vibrant, towering kites online or featured in news coverage, you … Read more
